I am constantly amazed at the number of people who believe they’re prepared for a home invasion who are clearly, absolutely not. Don’t get me wrong: if someone doesn’t want to contemplate the idea of bad guys entering their home, that’s OK with me. Depending on whether or not you keep an ounce of blow somewhere on the premises, the odds of a home invasion are lower than the odds of injuring or killing yourself by slipping in the bath. But I have real issue with people who say they’ve got a plan and don’t. After having a friendly chat with (i.e. interrogating) dozens of shooters on the subject, I’ve identified several common profound weaknesses. Let’s start with this: they don’t have a gun . . .

Oh they have a gun. Most have several. Know how to shoot them too. But they don’t have immediate access to a gun in their home. Which is the same as not having a gun. They all think they’ll be able to run to their gun at the start of a home invasion. That is one seriously dangerously delusion.

You think the bad guys are going to make an appointment? Knock three times? Wait while you prepare for them? Allow you to secure your kids before you get your gun? I wouldn’t bet my life on it. And neither should you.

Experience has taught bad guys the wisdom of Adam Deciccio’s recipe for personal defense: speed, surprise and violence of action. Even the craziest of them get it. Ironically enough, I can illustrate the problem with a report from wfie.com:

The victim, Tabitha Inge, told deputies she awoke to find Stevens, who also goes by the name Lorie Dunn, standing over her wielding a knife.

The sheriff’s office says the two women did not know each other.

Inge said Stevens forced her to cook a meal for her and load computers, mail and other items into Inge’s van. That’s when deputies say Stevens told Inge she was going to assume the victim’s identity and ordered her to help her die her hair.

Inge broke away, grabbed a rifle and tried to shoot Stevens. The weapon failed to fire, though, and Stevens then ran into a bedroom where Inge’s daughter was asleep. Inge followed and began hitting Stevens with the rifle. Stevens then ran out of the house, leaving in Inge’s van.

Don’t get distracted by the fact that Inge was asleep at the time of the invasion. Yes, she should have secured her doors and windows. A perimeter alarm helps me sleep like a baby (when I do).

Don’t worry about the strategic error of not fighting like hell as soon as possible. Some people can’t summon sufficient mental and physical strength when faced with a deadly threat—especially when they’re caught on the hop. Sometimes strategic concerns (such as children in the house) mean you gotta go with the flow, and wait for your chance to escape or attack.

Focus on the fact that Inge didn’t have a self-defense gun strapped to her body. Or, less MikeB302000 antagonistically, anywhere within easy access.

I highly doubt Inge’s weapon failed to fire. I bet Inge failed to fire the weapon. The rifle was probably unloaded. Or had the safety on. Or something. Again, bad planning almost cost Inge her life.

But even if it had fired, the odds of shooting a home invader with a rifle (or shotgun) are far lower that the odds of shooting the perp with a handgun. Handguns are more accessible. More wieldy. Less obvious. More versatile. Rifles and other long guns are easier to deflect and “confiscate.”

I’m down with that whole “handguns are for fighting to your long gun” concept. In that order. But the best way to think about this is simple enough: if Inge had been home carrying, this story would have had a different arc. As would the tale of horror endured by Dr. Petit.

If you’re going to rely on a gun for part of your home defense plan, observe the first rule of a gunfight: have a gun. And the second: no one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

Remember: that bump-in-the-night I’ll get my gun out of the safe or grab the one by my bed scenario that most people like to prepare? It’s only one possibility of many. Unless you’re home carrying, you are only ready for a very specific set of circumstances.

There are plenty of “common sense” objections to home carry. It’s unsafe for the kids (definitely not true if you keep your gun on you at all times). I’ll look like a nutcase (who’s coming to dinner?). Etc. And there’s one common sense reason to man (or woman) up and carry a gun in your home: if you need it, there it is.

As John Lennon said before he was shot to death, life is what happens when you’re making other plans. Semper fi baby. Semper fi.

About Robert Farago

Robert Farago is the Publisher of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns.

127 Responses to Self-Defense Tip: Home Carry

Our man Leghorn’s planning tests re: access to a firearm from various sleep states. The work will include safe access time (various types of safes), time to ready, threat recognition ability (shoot / don’t shoot), accuracy. So there. Nuh.

Perhaps we’ll be treated to a lively discussion about safe methods for carrying while asleep.

Single action derringer or revolver under the pillow or on your person. Semi-auto pistol or double action revolver on the nightstand or in a safe or in a holster etc next to the bed. Long gun under the bed. Machine gun behind the bedroom door.

You make some very good points. I agree that a rifle is not a good choice for in-home self-defense. A sporting/hunting shotgun with a longer barrel is probably also a poor choice. However, I do not entirely agree with the statement that one has a better chance hitting their target with a handgun than a shotgun. I keep an 18 1/2 inch barrel 12 ga under my side of the bed that has a pistol grip and a grip-button activated laser. I can shoot from the hip and have little doubt that at least one of the 00 pellots in the 3″ magnum shell will hit the bad guy.

I do have a number of handguns around the house that are hidden along paths of retreat from the entrances. And I usually am either carrying around the house, or I have a gun sitting out in arms reach.

Also, I have been starting house plans for a house that me and my wife want to build in a couple of years. It will be designed with home defense in mind. For example, to run from my bedroom to the children’s bedrooms will take me away from the entrances, and hopefully the bad guy…perimeter alarms are the key.

I think an FN P90 or similar bullpup would work pretty well also. Of course, if you deploy the Kel Tec RFB you better know what’s behind the bad guy, and what’s behind that, and what’s behind that, etc etc.

Well, the last weapon I’d want to encounter in a close-range gun fight at night would be a combat shotgun with a laser sight. So you may be on to something. But have you ever fired a 12-gauge shotgun, even outdoors, without hearing protection? Can you imagine what it would be like indoors? Long-term hearing damage beats losing a gunfight, but even the immediate issue of your mentally freezing up from the first shot, would impair your fighting ability. And true preparation for shooting indoors with no protection, would be extremely unpleasant and guarantee hearing damage.

I think the way to go is with a reasonably low-pressure round like a .38 or .44 special revolver or .45 automatic. Preferably not a .357 magnum or more powerful (although .357 is probably the most effective round you can buy). And if you have legal or practical reasons to prefer a long gun, consider the Marlin Camp Carbine in .45 ACP or 9mm. In .45 anyway, it’s very quiet for such stopping potential.

“But have you ever fired a 12 ga. shotgun, even outdoors, without hearing protection?”

Well, yes. Everytime I go duck hunting, or dove hunting, or even deer hunting, although I usually deer hunt with a rifle. My hunting experience is that I usually don’t hear the shot and I don’t feel the kick of the shotgun, so I have to think since I don’t freeze up during hunting, I wouldn’t freeze up under other circumstances. It’s all about concentration, hitting the target, and following through with follow-up shots to make sure the target goes down.

Naturally, hunters don’t tend to wear hearing protection, ironically since they need to hear. (I understand the electronic ones are pretty good now at amplifying quiet sounds while blocking gunshots, but I haven’t tried them.) I trust you do know that the sound would be much more intense in a small indoor space. At any rate, I think higher rate of fire, more rounds / quicker reloads, and lower noise levels would make the .45 ACP (esp. Federal JHP or Hydra-Shok) a solid choice despite its reduced (but still substantial) stopping power compared to a shotgun.

My wife is skittish about the guns in the house with two young kids. But, we do practice a plan once a month. I get up out of bed grab my flashlight then press the test button on the smoke detector on the wall in my bedroom. The kids go to our bedroom and we proceed from there. It maybe a fire drill or a break-in. Practice!!!!!!!!!! How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

Dr. Petit did need a gun. He needed multiple ways to be alerted so as to get to the gun. A dog is a great alarm system but unless you have a pack of dobermans roaming your house I hardly believe a dog would do much good against two crazed inmates. Okay, you’ve got the dog. You are alerted to the threat. The threat has shot the dog or kicked it soundly in the guts and it is cowering in the corner. What now?

A firearm wouldn’t have helped Petit. He was awakened on his sofa by the sensation of being smashed across the face with a baseball bat. So unless you can teach yourself to sleep with one eye open or swear off snoozing on your own goddamn sofa for the rest of your life, you need a different outlook and a different plan.

To an objective outsider such as myself, the reasoning on home safety at TTAG is utterly transparent. You have all these cool shootin’ toys and you want a rationalization for them. It’s not really about home safety; it’s about guns.

No, I enjoy firearms a great deal. But if I ever find myself needing to wear a gun 24/7 inside my own home, I’ll move out of the back room of the pawn shop I must be living in and find a nice bungalow somewhere.

Hemmm… MikeBWarrhammer40K advised me of the same. If your areas is too dangerous – move. What if you don’t have the money to up and move your life at that moment? What if your kids like the place they live? You are willing to up your life because something bad ‘could’ happen but you are not willing to act against something bad ‘when’ it does happen. Interesting. What would you do when there are no longer any ‘safe’ places left in the world, Magoo? What then?

I have complete respect and regard for those who live or own businesses in dangerous neighborhoods and must employ firearms and other means to defend themselves and their families.

However, that doesn’t apply to very many gun loons. They tend to live in the suburbs, running on paranoia that is generated by, dare I say it, race and class fear. So the people who obsess most about firearms are those who need them the least. They’re safe in their cocoons, fantasizing about living in danger.

Or instead of teaching oneself to sleep with one eye open or swearing off snoozing on the goddamn sofa for the rest of their life, one could implement a layered approach to security using electronic, biologic and mechanical systems.

A firearm wouldn’t have helped Petit. He was awakened on his sofa by the sensation of being smashed across the face with a baseball bat.

And he didn’t have any chance after that to draw a weapon? And at no point the mother would have had a chance to draw a weapon? I can stand to read only so many news accounts of this story, but it sure seems at some point one of them must have had the chance to draw a weapon, but there was no weapon to draw.

After slipping out of my shower once (through the shower curtain and onto the floor, I performed a backward roll landing unharmed — thank you high school wrestling!) I bought a non-slip bath mat at Wal-Mart. Can’t remember the price, must have been less than $20.

I appreciate that you acknowledge the incredibly low odds of being the victim of a home invasion. While I’m totally fine with people protecting their homes with the weapons of their choice, I’ll echo Magoo’s question, which is one that’s puzzled me ever since I began exploring gun culture on the Internet. I appreciate your site, as it is by far the most rational of the right wingish gun sites, and I hope you can give me some insight.

“Gun people,” for lack of a better term, spend vast amounts of time, money, and thought on preparing for a very low-probability event. I understand that it’s human nature to fear violence from other human beings more than mere accidents or illness. People are armed to the teeth to protect their kids from “bad guys,” but can’t manage to protect them from diabetes brought on by a horrendous diet.

People talk about having guns hidden all about their houses, then bristle if anyone suggests that they might be just a wee bit paranoid.

Guys fantasize endlessly about which weapons they’ll want to have when society collapses, but how many of those guys would have a clue how to grow a garden, or which wild mushroom is safe to eat?

My theory is that in a society where we feel powerless to deal with so many problems, guns are powerful. It’s a problem you can solve. Also, it’s kind of exciting to be all tactical. Guns certainly are a lot of fun.

Again, I’m not opposed to people carrying guns for self defense, and I contemplate it myself sometimes. I realize that the conservative culture here doesn’t lend itself to introspection, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Schools prepare for “active shooter” scenarios, but the odds of an active shooter at Fanny Hill & Dale Country Day are lower than the odds of filling in an inside Royal Flush. The Swiss Army prepares for various invasion scenarios and the country hasn’t been invaded for 500 years. Millions of people learn the Heimlich maneuver, but actual use is so rare that it makes the six o’clock news. Hell, I learned trig in high school and I’ve never used it in real life. Millions of people got flu shots last year and there wasn’t any flu. And one or two of our commentators prepared themselves to think at an early age and haven’t done so since. We prepare because that’s what people do.

Ralph says: The Swiss Army prepares for various invasion scenarios and the country hasn’t been invaded for 500 years.

Actually, Switzerland was invaded and occupied during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Though not in the previous 300 years. And not in the subsquent 200 years: the Swiss learned their lesson: Si vis pacem, para bellum.

As to the choice of home defense weapons: if one doesn’t live in a house, or convenient to open areas, a “defense” dog is not practical. A poodle or a Pekinese, but I remember Bill Cosby’s joke about his rich girlfriend’s parents, who had a tiny little dog. “What’s that dog gonna do if somebody breaks in? I know, he’ll pee all over the place. Burglar’ll think Hmm, my leg’s wet – must be somebody home.” Also, some people are allergic to dogs or sensitive to animals generally. And a dog is a responsibility. Someone who is often away from home or works long or irregular hours cannot take proper care of a dog.

Between handguns, long guns, or shotguns – it depends on the person and his or her capabilities, and the probable tactical situation. A big handgun is no use to someone who lacks the strength to handle it; a small handgun may be insufficient to cope with a large and strong attacker. The OP notes that shotguns are easier to deflect or seize; but they have more hit probability at longer range – say 10-15 feet.

There are also budget issues. Many households cannot afford to spend thousands of $ on multiple firearms.

I keep fire extinguishers in almost every room in my house, yet I have never had a house fire. I keep a spare tire, first aid kit, and tools in my car yet I have never needed them.

I prepare as best as I can to deal with any problem I am capable of solving. And yes I can grow a garden, butcher an animal etc. Don’t mess with wild mushrooms though. Not enough nutritional value for the risk.

So being armed is part of an overall approach. I get that. I guess the question is, in terms of time, effort, money, and thought, how much more energy to you put toward armed defense vs. other safety measures which may have more immediate benefit.

Like gardening, I see guns as a hobby, but also as a potentially useful survival skill. I hunt, but I’m not a subsistence hunter. I raise a few chickens and ducks for eggs and meat, but I have no illusions that it’s enough to feed my family.

Maybe I’m imagining an unfair stereotype of the guy who’s armed to the teeth but too out of shape to walk to the nearest McDonald’s, much less hunt without an ATV. And garden? “What’s a vegetable?”

Yeah, I’ve met that guy. He also had a badge and had NEVER fired the gun in his holster. Used a duplicate for his annual qualifications.

Now on to your question “in terms of time, effort, money, and thought, how much more energy to you put toward armed defense vs. other safety measures which may have more immediate benefit. ”

The answer for me in terms of money is $0. I also shoot for recreation, the sport I shoot the most is IDPA, the second most is three-gun. I use the same firearms and equipment that I would use to protect myself and my family.

About 25 years ago a study was done that compared the entry level costs of shooting to other recreational sports. They were all within a few hundred dollars of each other.

Well it depends on how you define start. I grew up around engineers so I’ve always had a fascination of how things work. But it wasn’t until I was the victim of attempted vehicular assault that I purchased my first firearm. I just happened to be lucky in the store I chose because it was there that I was introduced to action shooting and defensive tactics.

I honestly don’t know anyone who views range practice as unpleasant. The most negative description I have heard would probably be necessary. They don’t shoot as a hobby, but they do shoot no less than every other month because of their role as a member of their Church’s Security Team.

If you’re at all mechanically-minded – if you enjoy building things, fixing things, improving things – or even just taking things apart to see how they work – if you enjoy personal challenges such as improving upon a skill through practice – or even if you just enjoy making very very loud sounds – if any of these apply to you, gun ownership and shooting can become an extremely interesting and stimulating hobby all by itself- irrespective of the defense-related reasons for owning a gun.

If you have an appreciation for good engineering work, or for high-level manufacturing skills, then you can be simply awe-struck by the very rational beauty of some well-made weapons. An understanding of what it takes in terms of skill and knowledge and a mastery of tools and materials in order to manufacture some of the nicer guns causes you to view some weapons more as art objects than as mechanical tools.

So, even without the defense focus, the machinery itself can be a consuming passion, just like any other in-depth-hobbyist interest.

For some, then, the self-defense aspect becomes a “practical” use which can help somewhat in justifying spending more money on more neat guns. For others, though – people who have been victimized in the past, people living in less-than-optimal environments, people who routinely have other people PO’ed at them – then it’s a great problem-solver built on top of an awesome hobby. Win/win!

My problem with these questions from NCG is that it is none of NCG’s business what I do with MY time and MY money. It is quite telling (and condescending) for you to assume that:
a. I don’t feed my children well
b. I don’t know how to garden
c. I fantasize about SHTF
d. you would know better how to spend my money
e. that I am “armed to the teeth” yet out of shape and not able to make it around the block…

Go fuck yourself!

If you have a non-condescending question, ask it – but you just insulted and stereo-typed all of us up here on the board and you haven’t the slightest clue about who we really are, what we do, how we take care of our families… You, my friend, are an elitist and need to fall off that pedestal you placed yourself on.

NCG,
Please understand that your choice of words and your
various descriptors of gun owners is inaccurate and
fits about as well as “one size fits all.” I personally find your stereotyping offensive, largely because I am one of those darn liberals. And, speaking as a liberal, I think you’re either naive or incapable of following an idea through to it’s logical end. (Not to mention that you give liberals a bum rap.)
I rarely ponder end of the world, zombies, terrorism or things of that sort. I have lived abroad for roughly 15 years– all in countries with strict gun control and can attest to the fact that most people do carry some form of protection, be it a bike chain or a cosh.
Currently, I have a house in a tiny town but mostly I live on the land I own – roughly a half section. I garden, can, hunt, and, in general, try to be as self sufficient as possible.
I also home carry. When wandering on my land, I also carry a rifle: one of my dogs brought home a bear’s femur. I do have smoke detectors, an alarmed electric fence (though the alarm is there to alert to me if any of my farm animals escape), a storm cellar, stored food food and water, and alternative fuel sources. Am I paranoid? Nope. After our last big storm, we were without power for 3 weeks and the roads were impassable for 2 weeks.
Do I consciously do risk analysis? You bet. I’ve lived in big cities, smallish cities, tiny towns, and rurally. I’ve been mugged and had 4 different break-ins at my various homes. I’m not a Bubba; I worked for the phone company for 40 years. Admittedly, some of what I did was non-traditional, I was the second woman linesman in my state, for example. Later, when I moved into supply chain, I became a disaster specialist. That meant I was on site in New Orleans 16 hours after Katrina hit, that was my last major call-out. Despite all the urban legends, the only looting I saw was for essentials. What else was there to loot? Big screen TVs when you have no home and/or no power aren’t worth much. (Hint, are you getting the idea that stereotypes are rarely true?)
Do I try to prepare for things that you probably view as very, very rare events? Yes, because events you consider as extremely unlikely are events I have experienced. Granted, I don’t prepare for every event I have experienced: whilst living in Athens, Greece, a car bomb exploded at the bank across the street. It blew out all of my windows (I was living in an apt, not a hotel). If I was living in an urban area, I’d take terrorism seriously. Honestly, in reality, I’m more concerned with the damage the beavers are doing.
You asked if “the gun-loving community” spends as much time, energy, and money on other issues. I know I do. And, like most people, I always have. As a kid growing up in the snow belt, everyone I knew laid in a few extra supplies, carried shovels and jumper cables in their cars, and so forth. In my mind, that was just common sense.
And being self-sufficient, which includes being able to protect my life and property, is also just common sense.
Following the notion of common sense throughout all aspects of one’s life is the point you don’t seem to get. Yes, I own several guns, each has a purpose. I also own several pieces of farm equipment, each has a purpose. Besides my fence, I have all the standard safety equipment. I am certified as a Paramedic II, and just finished my CERT training. And as parting shot at your Bubba stereotype, while working for the phone company, I also taught college as an Adjunct Instructor of history.
Perhaps you ought to rethink your image of the demographics of the gun-loving community because its constituency is far more diverse than you posit.

I appreciate that you acknowledge the incredibly low odds of being the victim of a home invasion. While I’m totally fine with people protecting their homes with the weapons of their choice, I’ll echo Magoo’s question, which is one that’s puzzled me ever since I began exploring gun culture on the Internet. I appreciate your site, as it is by far the most rational of the right wingish gun sites, and I hope you can give me some insight.

““Gun people,” for lack of a better term, spend vast amounts of time, money, and thought on preparing for a very low-probability event. I understand that it’s human nature to fear violence from other human beings more than mere accidents or illness. People are armed to the teeth to protect their kids from “bad guys,” but can’t manage to protect them from diabetes brought on by a horrendous diet.”

I am not sure who you are talking about or if you are just labelling all gun owners as fat diabetics but me, I am healthy, very healthy. I haven’t stopped my defensive planning with just guns. I started with fists and the foots when I was in my early teens. I am more than capable of busting the shit out of any would be clown that dares invade my life. If that clown has a gun… well… I should have one too. Gun to a knife fight and all that.

“People talk about having guns hidden all about their houses, then bristle if anyone suggests that they might be just a wee bit paranoid.”

Of course. Is the mechanic that has tools all about his shop paranoid that his car will break down? Or is he prepared for the inevitable? Why not have the tools at hand if needed? Your use of the word paranoia is translated to prepared for me.

“Guys fantasize endlessly about which weapons they’ll want to have when society collapses, but how many of those guys would have a clue how to grow a garden, or which wild mushroom is safe to eat?”

I don’t fantasize. I don’t fantasize endlessly about ways in which to better my situation, I think about them and obtain them. Again, I assume you are talking about all gun guys as you didn’t stipulate which people you are talking about, hence the negative wording. I have a clue how to grow a garden. I have grown much of my own food. Northern Canada isn’t a clime that takes to sustenance farming easily so I hope you can understand what sort of feat this actually is. As for mushrooms, any expert will tell you it is just best to stay away from them in the wild – period. It just isn’t worth the risk/benefit making the choice to eat them. You would be far better off eating roots and most any plant root that grows near moving water.

“My theory is that in a society where we feel powerless to deal with so many problems, guns are powerful. It’s a problem you can solve. Also, it’s kind of exciting to be all tactical. Guns certainly are a lot of fun.”

Theories are great. Unfortunately a lot of people have them and most of them are garbage. I don’t have a gun because I feel powerless to deal with problems. I have a gun so that I am not powerless to deal with problems. And yes, guns are fun.

“Again, I’m not opposed to people carrying guns for self defense, and I contemplate it myself sometimes. I realize that the conservative culture here doesn’t lend itself to introspection, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.”

I’m not labeling all “gun people” (advocates, enthusiasts, help me out here – and I’m more or less one of them) as fat and diabetic, by any means, but I know enough of them to know that finely-tuned super-fit killing machines such as yourself are not in the majority (especially Northern Canadian gardeners, props). I’m certainly making no claims for myself. I should probably carry a gun because if I had to fight with my fists, I’d lose. I bicycle a lot (hippie!), and I can hike a ways and pack a mule deer out of the woods.

I’m not trying to make broad generalizations, though plenty have been made about “Liberals” like myself on this site. I’m honestly trying to understand the thinking behind the amount of energy some people focus on armed self-defense. I’m not passing judgment. I’m a 2nd Amendment supporter (I, know you don’t have one in Canada). I’m not in the least creeped out by people who carry concealed…well, except for maybe this one guy. I’m seriously considering getting a permit myself, just because I can. But really, I think I ought to refill the earthquake water jugs and rotate the canned goods first.

“I don’t have a gun because I feel powerless to deal with problems. I have a gun so that I am not powerless to deal with problems.”

Again, kudos to you for being prepared to deal with that particular problem, but it is a very narrow sort of problem. The vast majority of problems cannot be fixed with a gun. A gun is a tool, like a hammer. You made the analogy of the mechanic having a lot of tools (I’m a contractor, so I appreciate tools). What if a mechanic had nothing but a bunch of hammers?

I’m not making assumptions here, I’m trying to reach out and understand a point of view that’s a little bit different than my own.

“I’m not labeling all “gun people” (advocates, enthusiasts, help me out here – and I’m more or less one of them) as fat and diabetic, by any means, but I know enough of them to know that finely-tuned super-fit killing machines such as yourself are not in the majority (especially Northern Canadian gardeners, props).”

Oh, my mistake and apologies if you were not labeling all gun people but it sure came across as such. I guess I am just so used to people who have no clue about guns and their owners being ignorant that it was a reflex reaction to assume. Again, if it was not meant this way – I apologize.

Thanks for the apt description of me. I appreciate it. It isn’t entirely true though. Taking self-defense classes as a teen through mid 20’s is not so rare a thing for Canadians. Most of us have a chosen athletic hobby (sadly for most it is hockey). I was raised by my grandfather. I grew up in a place where there was pretty much no one and you were weary of strangers. It was also wooded and full of rivers so hunting, fishing and gardening were more of a thing to do rather then sit on the Internet or use a cell phone or watch TV… oh, wait… there was none of that. There was just electricity at night. Swimming, biking, hiking and logging for firewood/building materials. You could say I didn’t have a typical American upbringing. But my explanation if you care to know should point out that I am not a killing machine, rather a cyborg from planet Zolaan who learned the woodland ways.

“I’m certainly making no claims for myself. I should probably carry a gun because if I had to fight with my fists, I’d lose. I bicycle a lot (hippie!), and I can hike a ways and pack a mule deer out of the woods.”

Cardio is good. Never know when you need to chase someone down and deal with them.

“I’m not trying to make broad generalizations, though plenty have been made about “Liberals” like myself on this site.”

Yes, with good reason I should add. Most come here with a high and mighty attitude spitting emotions all over the place and telling people what to do and name calling instead of bantering some fact. All we are trying to do is talk about some issues and laws and guns too! If I have you pegged wrong then again I am sorry.

“I’m honestly trying to understand the thinking behind the amount of energy some people focus on armed self-defense. I’m not passing judgment. I’m a 2nd Amendment supporter (I, know you don’t have one in Canada). I’m not in the least creeped out by people who carry concealed…well, except for maybe this one guy. I’m seriously considering getting a permit myself, just because I can. But really, I think I ought to refill the earthquake water jugs and rotate the canned goods first.”

I live in The United States. I have for a little while now and I moved here to be with my wife and family. I am a supporter of that Amendment, I have to be to be a citizen. We don’t have anything like that in Canada. We get screwed from all sides in all reality. We have ‘free’ healthcare though!

I think refilling the jugs and canned goods is a great idea. To each their own.

““I don’t have a gun because I feel powerless to deal with problems. I have a gun so that I am not powerless to deal with problems.”

Again, kudos to you for being prepared to deal with that particular problem, but it is a very narrow sort of problem. The vast majority of problems cannot be fixed with a gun. A gun is a tool, like a hammer. You made the analogy of the mechanic having a lot of tools (I’m a contractor, so I appreciate tools). What if a mechanic had nothing but a bunch of hammers?”

It is a narrow sort of problem. And no, the vast amount of problems cannot be fixed with a gun. Therein lies the debate. It is such a final thing, a gun that is. It is the difference between someone exerting their will on you and your own or you having the ability or moreso of an ability to help stop that from happening.

A gun is a tool like any other, this is true. It is good for its given design and purpose. As for the mechanic not having anything but a bunch of hammers when I assume he would need a router, we have come full circle to what I was mentioning earlier regarding having the ability to deal with a problem. I didn’t join self defense when I was a kid to protect my family. I joined so I could learn to kick some ass AND there were hot girls there. It becoming a tool later on is just a bonus. I didn’t want to be with my grandfather at first and grow up the way I did but I did and again this is a bonus. I guess what I am trying to say is that there are a lot of ‘gun guys’ who are also bikers, hikers, survivalist, hunters, lawyers, gamblers and whatever else.

“I’m not making assumptions here, I’m trying to reach out and understand a point of view that’s a little bit different than my own.

There is a lot of defensiveness here. Just sayin’.”

All right. I can appreciate that. Nothing wrong with it. The defensiveness is learned. Just saying.

NCG: from what I’ve seen you write in here, what you are getting at, is that you don’t understand the apparently disproportionate emphasis on home invasion, mugging etc. shown by “gun guys”, versus other statistically more likely dangers such as car accidents or health issues.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can speak for me: I find the thought of being a victim of *evil* far more intolerable than being a victim of bad luck, nature, or my own choices. That’s why my risk management is much more focussed in general on self-defense.

That’s me. Others, including yourself, may have a different “sense” of what risks one is more concerned with than others.

Think of health nuts versus gun nuts, for example: they obsess about their food, its provenance, and/or take stacks of supplements according to the latest research trends. It’s easy to imagine such a person running across this article and concluding that those of us seriously thinking about this topic are just being paranoid, just before freaking out over the latest study finding a tenous link between improperly cooked rutabagas and cancer.

In general, people do not stack up the risk numbers like an accountant, and calculate their $ expenses, time and effort focus accordingly; they tend to focus on the possibilities that bother them more, and put more into them because the emotional payoff is greater. Given my stated bias, together with my naturally defiant and independent mien, and the result is someone who will eat a McD’s hamburger occasionally, but has a concealed carry permit, is naturally in Condition Yellow at all times, and insists on carrying just about everywhere — because I can’t stand the thought of being unable to fight when that time comes.

My wife doesn’t carry, and is overall much more open and trusting of people than I am — but she lost her father at a young age to heart issues, so she’s a vegetarian and overall much more focussed on food, safety and health than I.

I appreciate that you acknowledge the incredibly low odds of being the victim of a home invasion.

Stereotype alert: Define “incredibly.” Or was that a term you have been imbued with as a result of the intellectuals’disdain of self-preparedness becoming infused into the popular culture.

“Gun people,” for lack of a better term

Are you KIDDING ? Need I SLAP YOU IN THE HEAD with the stereotype inherent in any statement that starts that way ?

If you are honest with yourself, you might ask two questions
1. How many armed citizens do I really know ?
2. How many of them can get past my stereotypes of them such that I really know a damned thing about them ?

I suspect the honest answers to both so far in your life is “few to zero.” Here’s hoping that can change.

I’m not trying to be hostile, but can you understand that the schism between firearms owners and other begins with you and others like you ? As long as you carry that attitude, the only place I’m likely to even communicate with you is here in anonymity land. And then only because I think there’s a chance you might realize that you, yourself, don’t exactly come across as (to paraphrase) lending yourself to introspection.

What’s really important about this is that you recognize how that schism comes about. Most firearms owners are eager to share their hobby with others, even as are philatelists, art collectors, tea-cozy collectors, and others. It can get quite annoying.

What turns us off is the barely-restrained or unrestrained contempt, condescencion, and stereotyping we undergo universally in the popular culture. Try telling a bunch of college professors in a liberal arts school that you hunt and enjoy shooting. It led me to create one of my tee-shirts — “Instant pariah, just add gun-ownership and stir.”

This firearms enthusiast is not “Bubba,” doesn’t know any “Bubbas,” and has seldom met a “Bubba.” Which might let you know how rare Bubba is outside perhaps a few specific circles.

And if you think that’s because I’ve led a parochial life, you’re so very wrong. I was raised in the NE USA, lived for years in the deep South, spents several more years in the western USA, and have traveled internationally for business. As a former firearms instructor and competitive shooter, I suspect I met more “Gun people” face to face than most others will see on television and the movies. I have a doctorate, as does my “Gun people” wife (who’s working on her second).

Three thoughts:

1. If you own a firearm already, taking some measure of preparedness to use that arm in self-defense is an intelligent act of preparation, for certainl values of “taking some measure.” This is why many firearms owners who did not purchase a firearm for protection nonetheless take some steps to be able to use it in case it becomes needed.

2. As I have told various people in the past (some of whom have REALLY annoyed me with their attitudes), mankind has achieved primacy over the animals in large part thru preparation. Through the ability to recognize not only current threats but possible future ones, and by taking steps to eliminate or mitigate the effects of those threats. This philosophy in my case is why I carry a jump kit (think “first aid” — I’m a former paramedic), a flashlight, and a fire-extinguisher in my car. It’s why I have smoke-detectors on each level of my house, and 2 CO detectors as well. It’s why I do 45 minutes of exercise each morning and several nights per week. To fail to prepare for credible adverse events is to accept personal extinction with the uncomprehending docility of a bovine (another T-shirt). And we each have our own definition of “credible.”

3. In my experience with hundreds of “gun people” over the years, I am not at all atypical — because there IS no “typical.” I have shot alongside or taught police officers (well, I was an instructor trainer), doctors, lawyers, teachers, housewives, teens, etc. Some have had a 9th-grade education, others are PhDs and MDs. One drove a beat-up pickup truck, another a Maserati. What I learned is “make no assumption who might come to class or show up on the range.”

I spent a lot of time in deep East Texas as a kid, so I’ve definitely met Bubba. In fact, my dad’s second wife used to call me Bubba, for which I will never forgive her.

“I’m not trying to be hostile, but can you understand that the schism between firearms owners and other begins with you and others like you ? “

Um, I am a firearms owner. I grew up with guns. I hunt. But I don’t keep a gun handy for self defense. In fact, mine are all locked up at my folk’s house, because they have a safe. I don’t think it’s wrong or crazy to have a gun for self defense, it’s just not the choice I’ve made, though it is something I consider. I am making an honest intellectual inquiry here.

Other than that, I am pretty much Liberal Elitist Scum. No advanced degrees, though.

I do know a lot of people who shoot, hunt, and like guns, and most of them are left-of-center like me, so maybe the schism isn’t so much between gun owners and non gun owners.

Since, as you say, home invasions are quite rare in this country currently, the fact that most gun-owners are unprepared currently to face a home invasion does not say much about the utility of their owning guns for self-defense.

First, some carry a gun, either almost all of the time when they are out of the house, or when they expect to encounter increased risks (working in a bad neighborhood, out after midnight, etc.).

Second, they have the guns in case things go to hell more broadly. I’d be willing to bet that after a hurricane hits the Gulf Coast, the people who remain in or return to their houses are in a much higher alert state, gun-wise, than they are in ordinary circumstances.

I carry at home and it’s as easy as can be. I’ve had numerous visitors and none of them know that I’m carrying. I don’t sleep carry, but the alarm will wake me and a pistol is readily available. If I can figure out a way to shower carry, not only will I be protected 24/7, but as an extra added benefit, I’ll never have to clean my gun again.

I’m still curious, are you as careful in every aspect of your life? And you say you’ll be protected 24/7, but really only protected from a very specific kind of threat. Does carrying your gun make you feel more relaxed and less fearful? More alert?

I don’t think you can honestly prepare for every possible event, but some events are more likely for certain people than for others. I live in the midwest and tornadoes, ice storms, and extreme heat are all common. I prepare for those types of risks along with all other forms of physical security as much as I find reasonable. My reasonable may not be yours.

I work out to stay reasonably fit. I maintain my vehicles to prevent breakdowns. I pay attention to my budget and try to plan for all of the areas of risk that I can while still spending some time devoted to my family and enjoying living life.

At the end of all of that I enjoy shooting and firearms are a part of my preparations.

NCG, I live in a VERY upscale community where there is no crime. Well, except for when my neighbor’s home was burglarized while he was away, and then the bad guys invaded his home when he returned a week later and beat him to within an inch of his life and robbed his person of cash, cards and ID. And no, he has nothing to do with drugs, legal or illegal. He’s just a guy.

That’s not why I carry, though. I was toting a pistol before my neighbor got beaten. I also have a good burglar alarm, which I consider critical for home security. But the thing is, the alarm is no fun, and I can’t carry it with me. Guns are fun to shoot, and portable. And yes, we also have fire extinguishers and an evacuation plan, rope ladders to evacuate the top floor, spare tires and flares in the cars, even supplies for the floods and blizzards that occasionally happen on Cape Cod. We also don’t put anything on the basement floor that might be damaged in a flood.

Do I worry? No. I sleep like a baby every night. There’s a huge difference between paranoid and prepared.

“A few years ago, the TV program Turning Point focused on private citizens who had used guns in self-defense…Among the Turning Point shootings we discussed were the series of armed robberies and attempted murders defeated by Lance Thomas, the owner of a watch shop in Los Angeles.”

“…The robber will survive. Lance Thomas is unhurt. His decision to be an armed citizen, to fight back, has been validated. The wounded robber will be charged, and the armed citizen has the sympathy of the authorities. Thomas has won in every respect.

In assessing the aftermath, the Rolex specialist analyzes what he has learned with the same precision he applies to the repair and adjustment of fine watches. It is not lost on him that he has expended 60 percent of his ammunition to neutralize 50 percent of his antagonists. It occurs to him that a single five-shot revolver might not be enough if there’s a next time, and that there won’t be much opportunity to reload.

And what if he had been caught out of reach of his Smith? Thomas expands his defensive strategy. The .38 is joined by a trio of .357 Magnum revolvers: a Colt Python, a Smith & Wesson Model 19 Combat Magnum, and a Ruger Security-Six. He arrays them a few feet apart within the small perimeter of his workspace so there will always be one within reach no matter where he’s standing.”

Some of you sceptics are imagining home carry to be much more complicated than it really need be. In my case, my “everywhere” handgun is a KelTec P3AT–small, light, thin polymer-framed .380. (If I’m going somewhere I really might be likely to need a firearm–e.g. the wilderness–I take a .357 and the KelTec is just a backup.)

The KelTac is small, light, and unobtrusive. It comes out of the nightstand and into my pocket first thing in the morning, and goes back last thing in the evening. No one who comes to our house ever knows I’m carrying it…

My EDATTC (every day all the time) carry is an M&P 40c in a Remora holster. It’s so easy and comfortable that I can carry it effortlessly in sweats, jeans and even pajamas (which I wear in Heffneresque fashion, sans Playmates). Piece of cake.

“Be Prepared” was sound advice in the Boy Scouts and remains sound in every endeavor. Guns, training, alarms and situational awareness are great tools, but don’t forget one of the most useful and lovable: man’s best friend.

Man’s best friend? I hope you aren’t referring to dogs (he said, in the tone usually reserved for someone who suggests feces for dinner…)
Some of us wouldn’t own a dog if we were paid to take it. Much like my abhorence of revolvers, I just don’t get people who own dogs. I really don’t get the people who travel with dogs and expect others to accomodate their preferences. I used to have a good friend who became a dogaholic. He would come over to my apt. and bring his dog along. He didn’t understand that A: the lease didn’t allow pets; and B: I didn’t want that thing in my house.

In the latest home invasion in my city the family awoke to find the perps (FIVE of them) in their bedroom. No one was harmed but their gun was stolen out of their safe. First and formost you need something to wake you up. An alarm system would be nice. A dog is vital – prefferably a noisy one that is very protective his family. Dashunds are nice. Very devoted to mom & dad feisty. Make enough noise and the bad guys may not break in at all.

Thanks for the awesome website! I simply have never understood the locking away of your defensive handgun… Especially at night. It needs to be ‘right there’ when you need it; especially when you have Kids. That is always the reason, I have kids so I need to lock them up. I understand this thought process but if you can’t get to it in time why have it?

What nonsense – starp on a gun while in bed asleep? Being prepared doesn’t require that drastic a step in protection. Your home should be alarmed if you live in that bad an area, and surrounded by perimeter motion-sensored lights. That is a good idea for any home, by the way – motion lights are inexpensive and do as much as anything to dissuade scumbags from playing games. At the very least, LOCK your doors and windows, for crying out loud!

I’m dismayed by the widespread reluctance on the part of people who ought to know better to accept that guns are a useful means of protecting yourself and your loved ones from evil people who don’t give a damn about your rights.

I’m a prosecutor, and you’d be amazed by the number of my fellow deputy district attorneys who loathe guns; think that there’s no possible reason to own one; and truly believe that only the police and the military should possess them. This is despite the daily reminders we get at work of the random nature of crime, the attacks that come with no forewarning on people who’ve done nothing to invite or incite the assault.

Someone in a previous comment spoke of our “paranoia,” suggesting that one ought to move to a lower-crime area, if the risk of a home invasion was so great.

Let me riposte thusly: We had a home invasion crime within the last couple of years that went something like this — A woman was in her multi-million dollar home in a very safe, low-crime neighborhood, watching TV and ironing in the middle of the day. A man hopped the fence into her backyard, entered her kitchen from the backyard (can’t remember if it was unlocked or if he kicked it in), then beat her to death with a frying pan.

He was subsequently cornered in a WalMart, where he committed suicide.

The moral of the story is that you never know when fate will deliver a homicidal maniac at your doorstep — and you’ve no one to protect you, to deliver your or your family from evil, other than you and the firearm that is hopefully nearby.

You can’t anticipate when you’ll be targeted for a random act of incredible violence; it seems prudent to be prepared in a manner that strikes me as no more paranoid than fastening your seatbelt.

If the act of wearing a firearm marks you as unduly paranoid or fearful, why do we accept police doing so? The logic of those opposed to the practice would seem to support the idea of unarmed constables who can call the fellows with guns when the threat arrives, clears his throat, presents his calling card and announces his intentions.

Living in a “nice” neighborhood is no guarantee of safety & you don’t have to be a drug dealer to be invaded. I once had a really big garage sale & made about $1000. The sale ended late Saturday afternoon after my bank had closed so all of that cash was in my house until Monday, a situation that a thinking thug who attended my sale could possibly figure out. I’m not so paranoid that I sat awake all night with my shotgun in my lap, but I did make sure everything was handy before going to bed. I do know someone who sold some merchandise for cash only to have the buyers return later and retrieve “their” money. Ordinary people do things like this all of the time & bad people sometimes take advantage.

I could buy into this mode of op, if I lived alone or if / when things go to crap. For now, I keep going back to this (need to actually do it some day): install panic buttons throughout the house. These hook up to the smoke alarms, lights, beacons… Basically, you scare them away.

Y’ALL ARE MISSING IT. “COOK ME A MEAL BEFORE I LEAVE” SURE, LADY, HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS? BACON CRISP? FRY EM UP IN YOUR HEAVIEST PAN, AND SERVE HER AS IF YOU LIKED HER. WHEN SHE TAKES THE FIRST BITE – THEN BRAIN HER WITH THE PAN. YOU’LL SAVE THE OFFICERS A LOT OF PAPERWORK. NOTE THE LAZINESS OF SOME CROOKS THESE DAYS – THEY WANT YOU TO COOK FOR THEM AND YOU LOAD YOUR STUFF INTO THEIR GETAWAY VEHICLE – OR JUST TAKE YOURS.

The solution I give to my clients who have children in the house for the safe storage of firearms when they are not home versus having access when they are is to use a keyed safe, (for a “ready” gun), mounted beside the bed. (For those who do not carry, that is!)

The lock of the safe is where their keys live when they are home. When you get home, put the key in the lock and open it. When you leave in the morning, close and lock the safe.

Personally, I carry all the time when I am awake, and when I am asleep, there is a loaded Smith 686 under the pillows. My apartment, (not a house, unfortunately, so there are limits to what I can do), has steel fire doors for outside access, and inner and outer metal cased windows. Between those, the river rock along the foundations under the windows, (it’s really squeaky when you walk on it!), and the furry critters, (along with manual disturbance alarms on the doors), I should get woken up by any unauthorized entry…

“Again, I’m not opposed to people carrying guns for self defense, and I contemplate it myself sometimes. I realize that the conservative culture here doesn’t lend itself to introspection, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.”

And when your superior mind’s eye peers into a mirror you see what? It seems to me that you lack the introspection to realize your view of the world is based on leftist cliches. You are well programmed and arrogant, Comrade. I am impressed.

“Guys fantasize endlessly about which weapons they’ll want to have when society collapses, but how many of those guys would have a clue how to grow a garden, or which wild mushroom is safe to eat?”

That’s a jewell. I bet you “borrowed” it from the worldly intellects at NPR.

As far as home defense goes; it would take more than a split second for any would-be home invader to get inside my house and damned impossible for them to do so without me waking up (thanks, doggie). I would be armed by the time anyone made it in. The point of the article is important. Guns are useless if you can’t get to them in time so some thought about where you keep them is advisable.

I guess I am one of those “paranoid right winger” types. I do have firearms in the house, and would use them for self-defense. One must of course lock them in a safe(s) when one is away from the house as one would not want to return home to find some burglars had just armed themselves with your gun(s). Of course, just about any burglar who would enter your house will arm themself with a large kitchen knife which everyone has and nobody locks up! One should always own at least two firearms, so you’ll have one ready for use when you’re cleaning the other one. I have known too many folks who have been murdered, sometimes in or around their own house. I refuse to be a sheep and wait for the wolf to come and get me. If the wolf comes to my door, he’ll find my bite will be worse than his bark.

That being said, gun owners should shoot all of their firearms from time to time to ensure they work. I’ve known people who have bought a gun and NEVER shot it. I ask them how they know it will work when the time comes to use it? I guess they must trust in the Lord or something. Not to mention if you never shoot your gun and become familiar with it, you probably won’t be able to use it effectively when the time comes. After all, athletes constantly practice their sport to maintain their competitive edge–shooters should do the same.

Someone else mentioned having fire extinguishers although they’ve never had a fire. I ask anti-self-defense folks (which is what anti-gun folks really are) if they wear their seatbelt in their car. When they answer yes, I ask them, “Why? Are you planning on crashing your car?” They answer “Of course not! I only wear it JUST IN CASE someone crashes into me!” Bingo! There it is–us gun owners have them JUST IN CASE someone tries to attack us. Mere ownership of a firearm does NOT imply we want to use it on someone else in an offensive manner. And while the “anti” folks may not want to carry a gun themselves, do NOT try to take away my RIGHT to defend myself and my family!

I have 1911’s and 9mms and all sorts of things all around the house, but I am never without a .22 derringer in my watch pocket, or similar location, ever !

Currently it is a North American Arms .22LR with 1″ or maybe 1 1/8″ barrel. CCI Mini-Mag .22 LR HP. A pocket sheath made from 1/16″ polyethylene packing foam and electrical tape, just enough to keep out most of the lint, pubic hair, and so forth.

Gave up discussing this years ago, too …. it’s just what I do …. even the 5-shot .38 titanium Airweight is big / heavy enough to be left behind sometimes.

For the same size, I think, you could carry a Seecamp or similar weapon with 6 rounds of .32 ACP in Winchester Silvertip Hollow Point, with a pocket sheath in the front pocket of just about any pair of pants. (No one ever noticed that I was carrying one, for over a decade.) More effective round, perfectly reliable feed, and more shots than a derringer.

If you are really worried about the danger of home invasions one of the best preventatives is a dog. The gun should be close at hand. I keep a .45 auto under my pillow. Most would be burglars won’t deal with the noise a dog will create if they want to come in, and if they do want to go through the dog this will usually give you time enough to be waiting for them with the weapon of your choice.

A dog is good. It isn’t as effective as some would trust to believe though. My neighbor across the street had a man bust into his house at about 2 in the middle of the day. There was a car parked in the drive, the dude was home and his two dogs were in the house barking like crazy. Crack head grabbed at some plates or something on the counter and took off back out the window. The police did not catch him. It happens. I should add he has ADT.

As far as protection goes it all depends upon the kind of dog you have. But as far as alerting you to a home invasion almost any breed is spectacular. They still function when the electricity fails. I wasn’t really talking about protection there, I was talking about having notice of invasion so that you could, assuming you have a gun, be set up in a position to blow the invader straight to Hell.

+1.
would bet that none of these folks who “woke up with x# number of people in their bedroom” had a dog. your local shelter has dozens of loving, faithful companions just waiting for a kind hand and a bowl of kibble; will they rip the throat out of Charles Manson if he kicks in your back door? probably not, and likely you’ll have a night or two when you’re awakened because the neighbor’s cat gets a little too close to the house, but you won’t be awakened by strangers tugging on your sheets…….dogs are also far superior as not being “in the white” in general interaction as well

True, all true. I’m just saying this guy didn’t seem to care about the dogs at all. For him it was no factor to consider at all it seemed. Some people just don’t care or are too coked out to care is my guess. The neighbor was alerted but really it did him no good as he had no defense weapon at all save the barking dogs and his screams. Intruder still entered, did what he wanted and left.

NCG—you sound like a reasonable person, and even better you’re asking questions and putting your assumptions to the test. As someone who lives in a left-liberal universe it sounds to me that the hard-core left have done a number on your head: that Bubba of the MSNBC imagination may not be any more diabetic, toothless, or fat than Rachel M. But still you seem to end up with some pretty large stereotypes to describe (or account for) a reality that many here will experience as something more complex. If you’re looking for a way to lose some flab, consider starting with unnecessary adverbs: “incredibly low odds,” “highly”, and the like. Because they’re not all that low, and where they are it’s due in part to availability of handguns. North America is a major exception to the ever-rising home invasion trends seen in Europe, and not because our criminals are poorly informed. There are quite a few communities in the UK in which home invasion is something you just have to accept (if memory serves, something like two per decade per dwelling isn’t unusual even for good neighborhoods). Here, it’s a risk I can manage with relatively little effort; there, not only are the odds against you, the law is too if you try to defend yourself in any way (pull a legal gun on someone assaulting you or a third party in your own house, way out in the country even, and you are going to jail. You’ll also likely be sued—the delicate little things are easily traumatized). This is one area where a “gun culture” can make for much more livable communities, even if you don’t own a gun or even ever set eyes on one. Many/most/nearly all Brits, god love them, are horrified at the very thought of a private person owning a gun. I never, ever, mention my routine here, and when we’ve got visitors everything goes in the safe deposit box. But the price is paid in insecurity and real, statistically verifiable, levels of violence that we don’t even have to think about. Much less fantasize.

I started out a liberal in college. I left as a libertarian, because I met liberals there who sent chills up my spine. I’m talking about animal-rights-over-human-rights people, those who argue passionately for human extinction, folks who actively talk about murdering bankers and other businesspeople, destroying all technology, etc. This one girl FREAKED OUT when I killed a mosquito in her presence. No, I’m not kidding. Now, does this mean all leftists are whacked out sociopathic communist human-extinction-types? Of course not. But my extremely negative experiences left me with the very real and very false impression of this. Every day I fight against that stereotype. I know they’re an incredibly tiny minority, and I even know many moderate liberals who are horrified by these notions, but the stereotype is a constant burden I struggle against.

We must all fight these demons of ours. I think you will find that, like every diverse group, gun owners defy description. I’m a 23 year-old married engineer who keeps fit and owns many guns and a bookshelf full of rulebooks for nerdy role-playing and tabletop wargames. We may be unified by our love of guns, but that doesn’t mean that guns are the only things that define us. We come in all shapes and sizes.

I think you forgot a second major point, and that is actually killing another person. I have heard stories (sorry, no facts, just tidbits I’ve read over the years) where gun owners would point the gun at the intruder then freeze, because only then did they realize they were about to kill someone. Yeah, I know, the tough guys say “Oh, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second”. But I think that, after deciding to own a gun for home defense, mentally preparing for blowing a hole in another human being has some merit.

I remember reading the action report of a female ARMY MP Sgt who was awarded the bronze star for valor. she and her team fought off an attack on a convoy in Iraq. Her humvee and the other security detail humvee were carefully organized so that when she ran out of ammunition she reached into the other humvee without looking and grabbed the spare magazines which were positioned inside “just in case”. THAT was impressive to read – everything worked like it should, the teams coordinated and drove off ambushers initially superior in firepower and with the element of surprize. How? Training and preparation. No one wants to be caught exposed in a crisis – be it due to natural disaster or human perfidity.

An important note for those with children in the house: Children should be trained that at a pre-arranged signal (a shouted word, perhaps), they get OUT of the house (preferrably straight from their bedrooms if at night – rope ladders, anyone? If during the day, then by any available route while the perps are focused on the adults). Babies and toddlers should be taken out of the house by one of the adults while the other deals with (or at least distracts) the intruders. Children in a house are the main leverage mechanism whereby violent intruders take control of the occupants. If the children are able to remove themselves (or be removed) from the situation early on (like immediately), this gives the remaining adults alot more latitude. Teaching children to go to an area inside the house during an invasion plays into the perps plans (even if the area is locked – the children are still hostages).

Preperation for a low probability event like seat belts in a car, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, etc are all the same as a firearm for protection. As a matter of fact the probabillty or lifetime odds of a US citizen being killed by a violent act is slighly higher than that of being killed in an auto accident. CDC data. NO one thinks it odd to wear a seat belt but why then would you think its odd to have a firearm. The best form of protection against a vioent act?

I carry my SR9c at home, day and night. From the time I am dressed to the time I lay down at night, I am carrying. Next to my bed within reach is the AR-15 with a laser light combo on the lower rail, and the Ruger SR9c is within arm’s reach on the night stand near a Sure Fire tactical light.

I choose to have the AR there instead of the 870 tactical, because of the nature of home invasions in my particular area. Home invasions have become more common here in recent years, and the invaders tactics more brutal. There are organized home invasion gangs wearing body armor, and some carry AK47’s, making entry from multiple points simultaneously. They arrive 6 or more at once and overwhelm the home occupants. Most of the time, they arrive during the early evening when the occupants are sure to be home. They will knock on a door, showing a picture of a dog or cat, claiming they lost their pet. They will stage a fake flat tire in your driveway, and ask for assistance. They show up at the front door calling someone’s name. When the resident opens the door to say they have the wrong house, 3 or 4 invaders force the door open and in they go. In the mean time, another 3 or 4 have broken in through the back of the house.

We (myself, wife and 6 year old boy) have a plan that includes use of a safe room. The safe room is our garage, which has only one way in from the house, and no other doors leading to the outside. The one entrance from the house provides a fatal tunnel where BG’s will surely die. We can work the tunnel from an angle and still be out of the natural line of fire from an invader. We manually lock the garage door with deadbolts (it has a garage door opener) and it is re-enforced heavy guage steel for hurricane protection, so it’s tough to break into from the outside. When police arrive in the driveway and tell us to open the door, we will know it’s really them because we will see the lights and hear their radios.

My wife is armed also (little Ruger .380) and is full on board with the plan. Our 6 year old boy has already become familiar with firearms safety, and always accompanies me to the range. He loves shooting the AR on a bipod. We have looked at our home from a tactical perspective also. We have identified fatal tunnels, concealment and cover, and will shoot right through concealment to get to the BG. When the AR is not near the bed, it is in the heavy safe, which is also bolted through the floor into the foundation. I travel all over the world for months at a time for my work.

While I am gone, my wife will have the 870 tactical 12 ga. with Knoxx stock and grip near the bed along with her Ruger .380, as she is not as comfortable with the AR. Take advantage of everything you can. BG’s may have advantages from the beginning, but our advantage is that we know the tactical layout of the home, and have plan.

The discussion on this website was reasonable and civil. Even from the people who question the focus on home protection.

I have to agree with the blogpost that having a gun handy is necessary. I have had a German shephard in the house for years and even at night she slept in my room, She would wake me up in time to get a gun. Kept one in the bedroom. Gun in the closet when the children was small and under the pillow when they were old enough to handle guns responsibly and with accuracy. By that time the children kept their own shotguns with ammo handy and a handgun. Even if it was just a target 22 caliber.

I moved to my parents house, much larger and more isolated. The dog is older and may not hear as well. The house is large enough that distance from a handgun is farther. But the chances of home intrusion is lower. In the summer we do not use AC so windows are open and so are the screen doors.

My son has friends coming in a late hours so doors are unlocked, so security is less.

However the last time we had an issue in the neighborhood we had cops everywhere. The suspect was seen by my sons girlfriend The suspect was not dressed or looked like the people who live here. She thought he was in for a drug sell. I found out fast enough and had the shotgun by the bed and then loaded Kept my handgun on me. Then I went out with the dog to walk around . My neighbors, especially women, were very concerned with a shooter suspect hiding in back yards that had heavy forest. The helicopters were there for hours. They caught the guy the next day.

I have to admit that the county had cops who were using their personal cars and called in on Sunday. I live on a peninsula surrounded by water with one road in and out unless on knows the paths. The poor suspect had no idea of the layout when he wandered in the neighborhood.

However if he had ventured onto my property I was willing to let the dog have some ass. She has been known to do that in the past. I would have followed up with a gun if he stood his ground or shot at the dog.

I know a person that has an apt and in his living room there is a gun in every seat and hidden all over. It never bothered me. He had dozens in his safe also. I just had to watch where I sat so I would not sit on a gun. Since he knew we didn’t mind, he would show off his collection when we were there.

If any fool broke into his house he would have ended with lead.

Being prepared is a mindset. I was involved with boyscouts for years and all the boys knew if a disaster happened, where to go. Even if their parents were leary of weapons the boys knew in a disaster that they could come by and they would talk about it.

Crap happens in life, see Japan. You can talk and prepare all you want but generally something else will happen that you did not anticipate. The best preparation is fast thinking and knowing where emergency supplies are. Determination and adaptability will help in most cases.

The tragic case of the Petit family showed that the father had that mindset. Regrettably the mother did not or did not have the chance. They were taken by surprise which counts a lot in military and home invasions.

The daughters were probably not trained with the mind set to fight all out if attacked.

At some point a person has to figure out not to surrender and allow bad people to do things without resistance. I saw a case this morning of bank robbery where the robber was tackled by a 66 year old women who held the robber until police came. The old women did not have a gun but she had the right attitude. The robber was the one who was surprised and lost. Turns old the 66 year old women has case 4 cancer and figured it was Gods choice when she died, so why let someone get away with robbery.

I actually find myself in agreeance with Magoo. Going through life in condition yellow will drive you insane. I’d rather secure my house in a manner that would make it impossible to come in quietly so that I can relax and have my guns readily at hand than prepare for someone to attack me at point blank at any given moment and having to actually wear my guns 24/7/52.

I am a doctor, living in a nice neighborhood. In the past 2 years, a car was parked in the cul-de-sac where I live that looked like it didn’t belong there (older model, beat up), and not parked directly in front of a neighbor’s yard or driveway. I was walking my dog in my backyard when I saw it. The car started up and drove off. Several months later, a guy shows up at the front door and says he was with my alarm company and says he needs to change out some equipment from the house. No van or other vehicle in sight. I tell him to get lost and shut the door. Both times I am wearing a concealed pistol. I have not had a car accident in 20 years, but I always wear a seatbelt. I have never had a fire in the 15 years of owning my home, but I have 4 fire extinguishers. Now, tell me I’m paranoid for wearing a pistol. And now, tell me not to wear a seatbelt or tell me to throw away my fire extinguishers because the chance I will need those items are “extremely low”. And finally, please tell me now who lives in a “fantasy land.” I have a wife and child at home. I have a lot to lose if that one time I’m unprepared when a home invasion happens. You may not, I don’t know. But don’t you dare tell me that I should do this or that. You have no right to tell others what they should or shouldn’t do just because you don’t understand us. We all have different reasons for carrying.

I thought the vibe of NCG’s comment was more along the lines of the amount of time, effort and money committed to defending one’s self and family as opposed to time, effort and money in other protective endeavors. I think some took offense to some of the words he used, but I think there is a kernel in there that deserves some thought or reasoned response to NCG.

I’m a gun owner. I have a Les Baer in my nightstand. I’m a member of a gun club and shoot twice a month. I have applied for a CCW and have a SIG P238 waiting to be carried.

I have a fire extinguisher but honestly I don’t know what class it is, I think C. I have never practiced setting grease fires and testing the extinguisher. I don’t frequent websites and discuss the merits of atomizing revolving ejector extinguisher nozzles (I just made that up). I sure people geek out over that stuff but I’m just not that interested.

There is something primal about defending oneself from animal or human threats. I have spent a few nights looking into the best weapons to use against grizzlys but there are none within probably 1000 miles of where I live. I’ll admit it, I have a passion for guns. I don’t have a passion for the type of airbags that are in my truck.

I think that is what NCG is getting at. For me as a gun enthusiast, I’m going to spend more time, effort and money on guns. I like guns. I also want to be able to defend myself and my family and that is a very fundamental facet of the whole thing.

I am somewhat fascinated by how well armed some people are. I have the 1911 and have thought about getting a holster for bringing it hunting but man, some people schlep those things every day. That thing approaches 2% of my body weight. Knowing my own passion towards the things, is it just possible that some of us are so well armed because we just like the feeling of it? Maybe I’ll get there, I’ve already spent hours on researching the effectiveness of 380. My point is what other things beyond
self defense are in play for people that carry. Be honest.

“My point is what other things beyond
self defense are in play for people that carry. Be honest.”

To answer your question ( I speak for me and my family), self defense/defense of my family are the only reasons I am armed. I don’t feel more adequate with a gun at my side, I don’t feel like a tough guy. Frankly I would rather not have to have it but this isn’t the society we live in.

Lets talk about the hero stereotype (I wonder if this is what you are asking about). So some people wear a gun to be the hero when the need arises (or at least that’s what the anti’s tell us we where guns for). Again, I speak for me and my family, the hero doesn’t exist right here. Me? Not your hero. Nope. Not gonna happen. I have stated this numerous times. An example: If a riot breaks out and I have the ability to stop someone from harming another but me or my family are put at risk in the process I am not going to be anyone’s hero. Sorry, sounds cowardly but it isn’t in my families nor my best interest to stick my neck out for anyone else in a time of crisis.

To be armed is a necessity I fulfill in order to keep me and mine safe, nothing else.

Jeez, so it seems. For a site chock full of Liberal-bashing (and stereotyping) and a fair amount of whining about “political correctness,” a lot of people here are mighty sensitive to a little bit of mildly provocative language when it comes to their own proclivities.

And I’m a guy that agrees with most of the people here on the core 2nd Amendment issues.

I have no special standing to question. You have no need to explain anything to me. I’m under the impression that this excellent blog is a forum to talk about guns. So I’m talking about guns. I like guns. I’m pro-gun. I’m asking honest questions about guns, and the different ways in which people use them.

I certainly don’t presume to have anybody here “pegged.”

Perhaps this should just be an echo chamber for a very narrow orthodoxy. If that’s the case, I guess I’ll eventually STFU and go away. But I’d rather have a dialogue.

Just saying, Dude. There are an aweful lot of posts in here with anger directed at you. That doesn’t mean everyone in here is filled with anger. It means there is a reaction to someone or something that is annoying them. I see you are saying you have no one pegged but an aweful lot of people seem to feel pegged.

A long time ago in People Magazine there was an article about a female Los Angeles prosecutor who hated guns until she was mugged. She went out bought about twelve handguns and stashed them all over her apartment. That’s all I remember. I wish I still had that issue.

My 2 cents: I grew up with having 9 break-ins, thugs shooting at anything that moved from the woodline, having 1 dog sprayed with ammonia, later-having one dog stabbed with a pitchfork and first having to shoot back at criminals at 14 years old. I served in the Marines,Navy and Army. I worked contract security for the government and 3 L/E agencies. As a cop, I had an attempted home invasion and later had a drug dealer’s contract on me and all in my home. I have lived and accepted “reasonable” paranoia. Here’s my bit: 2 dogs are the best-indoors and big enough to be dangerous, and smart enough not to eat an innocent plumber. Steel core doors, deadbolts and night locks or bolts-not whimpy chains are the best. I also have the cheap battery alarms on doors and windows. Well placed flashlights, cellphones, fire extinguishers are just as vital as some hidden weapons, and I mean shotguns, handguns and edged weapons. The handguns are stoked with fragmentation rounds for the first few shots. All shotguns save one have 00 buck, a semi has all slugs to go through the door if needed. Here’s a tip-you won’t hear the shots and won’t feel the recoil when it really counts! Also, buck shot can go through sheet rock too, and I don’t believe in bird shot! I also have “old painless” the RPK, stoked with 40 rounds of ruskie hollow point, just in case. That all helps me rest!

“NCG says:
April 3, 2011 at 2:37 AM
Apparently, I have touched a nerve. Which means the nerve was there to be touched. It truly was not my intention.

I’m new to Internet opinionating. Work is slow and I have too much free time. I will never stoop to the sort of juvenile flaming that permeates so many sites, left and right.

Funny thing is, we don’t even disagree about the topic at hand. I totally support your choice of the means to defend yourself.

So clearly there’s some other problem.”

Not sure what to tell you other then a lot of people are very keen to protect their own and it is a very personal thing to them. We banter back and forth all the time amongst each other advising what is better for a safe home and what not. We brain storm and like to give our 2c on how we do it. It is a very personal issue that is very dear to peoples hearts because it is a very important and very real issue for them ( I live in an area currently that has about 100+ armed break ins on a slow month). For me caring for my own starts with them being safe. It is the number one issue, the number one thing I do to do my part as the head of my house hold. Food and water are in the tie place but they are not much good if there is no one able to consume it.

I guess what I am trying to say is that people don’t like to be questioned about things they have put their heart and soul into to get the way they think is best. I guess you could compare it to asking a stranger in a prying matter how they manage their money. Where I am from it will usually get the same response as has been witnessed by yourself on this forum.

I don’t have an issue with you. I just see that there are a lot of people that do and feel the need to point that out. Rarely on here have I seen folks swear like one dude did on you. It isn’t an example of most peoples treatment of ‘new’ folks on here. That kind of response is usually reserved for the resident trolls. So, yes, I would say you have touched a nerve somewhere.

“can’t we just (all) get along”… Seriously, I like the counter statements et al. Some days and nights, like tonight, it helps to distract me from these friggin migraines! I missed out on all the fun yesterday seeing yet another specialist, who turned out to be a recent gun nut convertee. We spoke of his Kimber .45 and the broken barrier from my sinuses to me brain! I don’t see it, but from personal experience, I wanted to add to the log-get collector’s insurance for all your weapons. It’s cheap and I assure you, homeowner’s doesn’t cover weapons! I even cover my knives-especially the custom ones. Just like flood, you hopefully will never need it. I encourage all grown ups to be on this site-and yes, I am one, even with my off color jokes! If I seem crass some days, be assured it is probably because I’m having a bad day. As for the unable to walk to Mcd’s thing-I dead lift 700 and can knock over my wavemaster kick boxing bag from 3″AWAY WITH ONE PUNCH. I try and stay in fighting shape, and even wear safety toe footwear for enhanced kicking ability. I am my girl’s bodyguard, after all!

oops! “Awaiting moderation!” I failed to make my point-I think we all need to not make it so personal, discussion is the key to democracy-not unsavory comments-I hate needless wrath. So now, let’s all hug…

My grandfather was an English teenager apprenticed to a foundry when WWI occurred.
To get there he went through school where you maintained your place by fist fighting with working leather gloves. After being gassed, shot, burned and injured in many other ways in his service as a Royal Combat Engineer Sapper he was rewarded by being sent to Ireland to maintain order where he literally fought his mates to keep his rations because sickness (influenza in this case) and starvation are an unfortunate occurrence of instability.
A savage existence that knows violence is more the norm in this world than the exception even today.
That we have not experienced widespread uniform hunger and violence in the US and Canada is a blip in the worlds history that many ascribe to moral ascendancy. Those who embrace that view are at best naive.
The failure to acknowledge that preparation for violence is one of the surest ways to avoid it is to plan on failing. That a fundamental element of preparation is an essential knowledge of when not to engage in violence is to often conveniently overlooked.
There are people who are dangerously obsessed with weapons but there appears to be many more who are foolishly obsessed with a reality that simply does not exist even in their blessed statistical bubbles of good fortune and denigrate others who do not share their fantasies.

My earlier post was more of a reaction not just to ncg, but also to magoo, who always seems to have that self righteous holier than thou attitude, as if he is one of the “chosen few” who should only be allowed to carry a weapon because he is the end all be all of proper gun knowledge. I’ve been following these blogs for a while now, and he seems not to be able to understand that not all people are like him and wouldn’t want to be like him. Irks me to no end.

In short, I just wanted to reiterate that some people carry 24/7, and no we don’t live in the back of pawn shops–some of us live in nice neighborhoods where anything can still happen at any moment. Of course I have an alarm system, and a dog, and motion sensor flood lights and all of that. But none of those will work if YOU are unprepared. Like most of the others on this blog, we feel the need to be prepared; this is not paranoia, it is NORMAL. I don’t like the insinuation that if you aren’t prepared, you must be normal. We all have our reasons to carry, and we all have the right to do so, no matter what anyone says.

The issue is not just the probability of an event, but the consequences. A low-probability event with high consequences may well be worth preparing for, as compared with a high-probability but low-consequence event. Breaking my glasses is a high probability but low consequence event. I don’t get excited over it. My house burning down is a low-probability event, but with high consequences. Hence I have fire insurance. Enduring a home invasion may be a low probability event, but it’s a very high consequence event. Vide Dr. Petit. Hence I try to be prepared for it.

The one time I suffered a home invasion I awoke to find an intruder at the foot of my bed. Fortunately I had a handgun on the floor beside my bed. When I brought it into play he left in a hurry. I got a dog the next day, and have had either a dog or a burglar alarm in every house I’ve lived in since then. Having a gun handy is important, but so is having some means of being alerted BEFORE the bad guys are at your bedside.
People who ridicule you for preparing for a low-probability event are overlooking the other half of the issue: the consequences of the event. Expected cost of the event is the product of probability of the event and the cost if it occurs. Both are important. The expected cost of even a low-probability event can be very high. Maybe even your life.

I still think everybody is missing NCG’s point. He’s not arguing that you shouldn’t prepare for a low probability event. He’s not arguing about the right to defend youself with a gun. I believe he simply is inquiring about why this particular threat (attack from another person) apparently receives a disproportionate amount of attention from people in the gun culture.

One reason may be that nobody is trying to take away your right to smoke detectors but people are actively trying to take away your right to firearms. Then again, I’m sure smoke detectors are a heavily regulated industry and this could have the effect of pushing out superior smoke detector designs. Is there a “Truth about smoke detectors” site that has heated debates about the government involvement in over-regulation that is stifling innovation? I’m not really joking, I really do get bothered by too much regulation where there is probably no need for it.

You could just put a revolver in your nite-stand and call it a day. You don’t need to read gun sites like this one, take the time to comment, debate ad infinitum on the best calibers, etc. I know for myself, part of it is to be better educated but part of it is entertainment because I find guns interesting. There you go NCG, a real answer. Yes, I want to protect myself. I also spend a lot of energy on this because it’s a hobby and I find it fun. Was that so friggen hard?

NCG, am I kind of getting to your root question? I don’t know why you get responses from people that launch into a diatribe about how much they can squat and how they can kick me in the head. Awesome. Anyhow, I think I’ll read this site since I’m a big fan of Farago but I’ll leave my comments to myself.

I have been thoughtfully reading the exchanges involving NCG. My personal conclusion is that he is a teasing liberal provocateur posing as a true believer in the 2nd Amendment, by hiding under the false cloak of “I-am-just-like-you”.

He claims to hunt, maybe ala John Kerry. He claims to own guns, but yet keeps it someplace else (he has a job, so he can afford an affordable safe if he want to keep safe custody of his gun). Then, he subtly attacks under the false pretext on intellectual curiosity, but substitutes logic and analysis with narrow negative stereotypes and comical characterizations of a very broad and diverse group of gun owners who have different crime/neighborhood situations, varying personal life experiences with crime and violence, and a range of ideas about preparedness.

My turn to characterize him: NCG writes well and uses sarcasm like an under-employed left wing “journalist”, and the news happen to be slow these days. If he is not a journalist or self-proclaimed blogger, he has the self-righteous socialist attitude that we are all expected to behave the same way, think the same way, prepare the same way, despite our individual differences, illnesses, health condition, and unique conditions.

The leftist elitist condescension is not immediately apparent until you read all his messages…all his tracks lead to the same socialist political pathology. He claims not to have advanced education…another one of his “I’m-just-like-you” pretenses (another one of his false notions that we are “under-educated”… I happen to have a double-major undergrad in the sciences and went to one of the top law schools, and there many others here like me. One of my two shooting buddies does not have a college degree, the other is a highly respected physician specialist. We are diverse, and share a common interest).

NCG may have forgotten his American history lessons or chose to rewrite it – the 2nd Amendment is one of the sentinels of the 1st Amendment, and ultimately, the Constitution. Our Constitution empowers the individual to protect and defend himself, his home, his Ccountry and the freedoms that he enjoys in thus country. And one more, I’m not “Bubba White”. I am a naturalized citizen from a third world country whose family came here legally in 1970’s in pursuit of justice, equality and opportunity. My brother served in the US Air Force (but father suggested one if us should serve in our “new” country), and three uncles fought with the U.S. Forces against the Japanese in WW II and the Chinese Communists in Korea. From my family’s and my life experiences, the number one enemy of American freedom and economic prosperity is the socialist ideology.

Am I prickly about NCG’s left-wing provocation and agitation? No. That is expected behavior. I am intellectually disappointed…and disgusted, which is my own expected behavior towards Socialists.

What a bunch of paranoia!!! ‘Several guns hidden along pats of retreat’, guns strapped to their hips at all times … My God, no wonder we are the only modern nation with such horrific gun crime. As a nation, we have a gun fetish that is beyond belief and WAY beyond reality.